94 Zaporizhia

Three days later, everything was ready, just before my departure I ordered Kowalski to send a messenger to Tarnow with a letter to the gunsmiths.I also told him to look for German, Italian, French and Latin teachers for Piotr and Katarzyna. The governess could take care of their basic education, but Piotr and Katarzyna needed something more.

We set off with a hundred people and 250 horses... It was only the beginning of September, but it is almost 1000 kilometers from Jazłowiec to Zaporozhye, under normal conditions it would take over a month to get there. However, I did not want to waste any time and decided to travel the Tartar way, which allowed me to travel up to 150 kilometers a day, but required spare horses.

It took us 10 days to get there, but not all horses withstood the murderous pace of the journey... Sich was located on the Czertomlik Island at the mouth of the Bazawłuk River, near one of the branches of the Dnieper River.

Me, Saddat, Ilya and Ivan crossed the river by boat. I announced to the guard who I was and that I wanted to see Ataman Koszowy. Due to my presence, history has already started to change, the present Ataman Koszowy was Michał Doroszenko, who should have died in the fighting in Crimea in 1628. However, due to my presence and a silent alliance with Khan, the fighting in Crimea did not take place.

The guards quickly led us to his quarters. There were a dozen people in the room, although I was not sure, I suspected that they were Cossack elders, perhaps the judge and Ataman himself. I introduced myself who I was and handed over all the credentials.

"Please sit down, it will take a while before I read the documents. Wine, beer, mead?" (Michał Doroszenko)

I sat on the chair indicated by Ataman, but I didn't feel like drinking alcohol, I was so tired from the trip that one cup of wine or mead would probably get me drunk.

"No thanks, but maybe my colonels are thirsty." (MC)

A few minutes later, Doroszenko finished reading the letters. On his face were different feelings, concern, anxiety and fear. However, it was not a kind of fear of enemy or battle, it was rather a fear of what the future would bring.

Relations between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Cossacks went from extreme to extreme ... from love to hate. Not so long ago, a rebellion broke out, which was put down by Potocki, but the shadow of this rebellion could be felt in the air.

"I can see that the war with Moscow is coming. What does the Crown expect from us?" (Michał Doroszenko)

"It's obvious, I came here with the order to recruit soldiers. When Moscow invades Smolensk, I will attack Moscow." (MC)

"After the last rebellion, the atmosphere in Zaporizhia is not the best ..." (Michał Doroszenko)

"It could have been worse, the rebellion was suppressed by Hetman Potocki if Koniecpolski had done it ..." (MC)

Potocki was more lenient in his policy towards the Cossacks than Koniecpolski.

"Cossacks will not allow themselves to be turned into peasants." (Michał Doroszenko)

"Nobody wants it, maybe there are a few nobles who would like it, but they are a minority, but your demands are not real. You want to enlarge the Cossack Register, but the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth cannot afford it, what country can support 80,000 soldiers? However, I believe that it will change in the future, maybe not in a year or two... maybe in twenty years, but both sides will be satisfied." (MC)

"Twenty years is a long time ..." (Michał Doroszenko)

"I don't like to make empty promises, but now I am Hetman and while I am Hetman, I will do my best to contain the aspirations of the nobility and magnates. However, I expect the same. If there is friction and problems, you will come to me with it." (MC)

Michał Doroszenko tried to look after the interests of the Cossacks, but he also understood that without the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Cossacks would cease to exist. What was true ... In 1775 Tsarina Catherine turned most of the Cossacks into peasants, and handed over their lands to the aristocracy. Those less obedient Cossacks were driven out, more obedient displaced or incorporated into the regular army ... Sich ceased to exist.

After a few minutes of talking about the policy towards the Cossacks, we returned to topics related to the war. I explained that I needed between 8,000 and 10,000 soldiers and as the Cossacks would not be registered, the money for their service would be given to Sich and the Ataman who would divide them fairly. Doroszenko promised to gather troops by May 1632.

Of course, I did not intend to pay them either from my own pocket or from the state treasury, after the conquest of Moscow, the Tsar would pay for their service.

I stayed at the Sich for two more days, which I spent mainly talking with Ataman Koszowy. I gave him an outline of what might be called the revised version of the Treaty of Hadiach. I left out the things I didn't like and added some ideas that seemed better to me.

"Do you think it's real?" (Michał Doroszenko)

"Yes, but it will not be easy and it will certainly take many years ... but nothing good comes quickly and easily. Now I have to go to the Crimea... One more thing, maybe in two or three years, the Crown will need the whole Sich and all the Cossacks, but about that another time." (MC)

It was no more than 450 kilometers from Zaporozhye to the capital of Crimea, Bakhchisaray, but here also I did not intend to waste any time ... four days later we were already there.

First, I sent Saddata to announce my arrival ... and now all I had to do was make a deal with Khan so that he would lend me 50,000 Tatars.